Haley Hopeful, Friedman Skeptical of Upcoming Mideast Peace Plan

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6 months ago

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley expressed hope over the Trump administration’s plan for peace between the Israelis and the Palestinians, while U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman expressed skepticism about what will be introduced at this month’s U.N. General Assembly debate.

“Only if [Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud] Abbas comes to the table” will peace be possible, Haley said on Wednesday. “We have ensured that [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu will come to the table. Abbas, for the good of his people, needs to come to the table.”

“I can tell you that [White House senior adviser] Jared Kushner and [Trump’s special envoy for international negotiations] Jason Greenblatt have done unbelievably detailed work in it,” added Haley. “I have read the plan. It is thoroughly done. It is well-thought-out from both sides, the Palestinians and the Israelis. It takes into account every aspect of everything.”

Friedman, on the other hand, expressed cynicism over any peace prospects.

“Since 1994, the United States has thrown more than $10 billion in humanitarian aid to the Palestinians,” he said in a speech on Tuesday. “Without minimizing the importance of medical treatment and quality education for children—and we don’t minimize that, not even for a minute—we found that these expenditures were bringing the region no closer to peace or stability, not even by a millimeter.”

These developments come in the aftermath of the United States cutting both its funding of the UNRWA and $200 million in assistance to the Palestinians.